Introduction
After being converted from Hinduism to Christianity four years ago, I must note that I have experienced a gradual growth in my spiritual life. The changes I have experienced have revolutionised my perspective of life making me more determined to welcome each new day. I have had many interactions which have made positive contributions to my life. In the past three months I have had a great experience learning more about the Holy Spirit and experiencing his influence upon my life. In this report I have given my personal reflection of the experience and growth that I have undergone through in the past three months. I must admit that the course I am undertaking has helped me a great deal in growth with respect to understanding the working of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit
I have always wanted to know more about the Holy Spirit. I have come to understand that the Holy Spirit forms part of a Christian life. Without the help of the Holy Spirit it not possible for a person to lead a true Christian life. Through the past three months I have learnt a lot of things about the significance of the Holy Spirit. Through my personal reflections I have also come to appreciate the role that the Holy Spirit has played in my life generally and in particular the three past months. Through the understanding that I have obtained on the operation of the Holy Spirit it has become possible for me to see the need for diligently seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is illustrated more in the following sections below.
The Presence of the Holy Spirit
I must note that through the course, my belief about the Holy Spirit has been reinforced. I have always believed that the working of the Holy Spirit within a person shows the presence God. Through my learning in this course I have known that the Holy Spirit can only be manifested in the presence of God. This has raised a desire within me to aspire moving more close to God and experience his awesome presence through the Holy Spirit. I have been able to accomplish this through my personal reflection and prayer time. Reading through the bible has been exciting and a new experience to me because as I read I am able to see how the Holy Spirit worked throughout the bible. It has made the experience awesome because I have been able to identify with the bible experiences so beautifully and that has made the bible so real and practical to my life.
The Working of the Holy Spirit
I have been taught about how the Holy Spirit empowers, purifies, reveals and unifies. I have learnt a very basic fact about the four operations of the Holy Spirit which is that the Holy Spirit works within us in proportion to how we respond to him. This has often challenged and pushed me into diligently seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The desire to experience the presence of God more in my life has propelled me to constantly pray for fulfilment of the Holy Spirit in my heart. I have felt a change in my life as I have continuously struggled to know God more and more. With each day as I pray I have felt a new experience and high level of the awesomeness presence of God. I have also realised that above my theological experiences I need more of the Holy Spirit to be successful in my mission work. Through what I have learned and read in my bible I have seen how the Holy Spirit empowered many individuals to carry out huge tasks. I know likewise that I must let the Holy Spirit administer to my Heart and empower me in order to serve others in a way that will change their lives for the glory of God.
The Manifestation of the Holy Spirit
The Holy has already manifested his Holy presence in my life in a number of ways. Doing everything has been awesome; reading the bible has been like a whole new experience as I have been able to understand some deep meaning which I had not understood before. I am more compelled to do God’s work more from within my heart and more significantly I have found a lot of pleasure in carrying out God’s work. The knowledge I have so far gathered about the Holy Spirit has been of great significance to me as it has enriched me so much on the ways of the bible and how to serve God. The Holy Spirit has given me more confidence in serving God and knowing that I am truly his son. I have become more confident in what I do as the Holy Spirit within me as constantly confirmed to me on the directions that I take. Whenever I feel joy and at peace with what I do I know that it is the work of the Holy Spirit within me working out in my life.
Holy Spirit is Preparing Me
Reading the manifestation of the Holy Spirit from the Old Testament towards the New Testament has assisted me a lot to know the way God operates in the lives of his people. I have followed the stories of people filled with the Holy Spirit in both the Old Testament and the New Testament and picked up some facts about living with the Holy Spirit. The New Testament has particularly blessed me as it shows rich presence of the Holy Spirit as compared to the Old Testament. Tracking the actions of the Holy Spirit within the church in the New Testament setting has confirmed to me the significance of the Holy Spirit in a church. I am very much convinced that a church cannot truly glorify God if the Holy Spirit does not work within it. I have also found out that the church has to be led by a spirit filled person in order for it to be guided in the right direction. I have persistently desired to know more and more of the Holy Spirit and surrendered myself to his guidance. Knowing the fact that without the guidance of the Holy Spirit there is nothing much that I can accomplish has made me more determined to diligently seek his ways.
The Story of Paul
I identify with the story of Paul. Taking into consideration his background there were likelihood that he might have fallen back to his old ways. The life of Paul helped a lot in the elucidation of the constant struggle between the flesh and the Holy Spirit that we Christians face. I have constantly been made aware of the need to differentiate bodily desires from the Holy Spirit guidance. Once again as I read through the bible I found presence of stories where individuals have gone against the Holy Spirit in fulfilment of the desires of the flesh. To me this has sounded as a warning that it is possible to leave the ways of the Holy Spirit and walk on your own way. I have prayed that my heart will be responsive to the calling of the Holy Spirit and that I will be able to differentiate the desires of the flesh and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I have come to understand that not all ‘good’ actions can be said to be guided by the Holy Spirit. This has proved to be a challenge to me as I am trying to work in unity with the Holy Spirit and not just doing good things as a Christian ought to do.
Conclusion
What I have learnt in the past three months has been great. I have come to believe that the presence of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life is quite important. I have noted that true life in Christianity cannot be possible in the absence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals Christian principles unto the life of a Christian. The Holy Spirit offers divine guidance to a Christian and helps him/her to understand the bible more deeply. The presence of the Holy Spirit in a church is equally significant. With the understanding and experience I have had with the Holy Spirit it is my belief that every Christian who truly desires to grow in his/her spiritual life truly ought to seek diligently for the Holy Spirit.